September 2012

Well I am a much happier mama!  I could not be more satisfied with Montgomery at the moment, I feel like the Lord has just really blessed us with Jackson’s classmates and his teacher—yes the same one who is not warm and fuzzy :).  The part I am most thankful for, is that for the first time Jackson has found a very close friend.  It’s like these two were made for each other!  They both LOVE sports, are academically focused, and live within 2 miles of each other.  They both are even on the shorter side!  Ms. Means says they are attached at the hip.  Everyday they play catch together at recess, eat lunch together, do free centers together, and are in the same reading/math group. Outside of school, during the last 3 weeks have had 2 play dates, been to each other’s birthday party, been to a braves game together and had a sleep over.  I guess I’m just thrilled because Jackson has never really cared to hang out with anyone, and now he is closely bonded to someone—and someone I happen to really like!  Hamilton is bright, fun, well-mannered, and sweet.  His mom and I joke, where have you guys been the last 6 years?!?! 

And I’m coming around on Ms. Means too.  One thing she is doing quite well is differentiating, so Jackson is challenged, which puts me at ease. 

While we are on Jackson, he turned 6 today! We celebrated 2 days early, on Saturday, and despite the cake completely falling apart on the route from the bakery to our house (Jackson thought it looked even cooler—thank goodness) had a great party!  He requested kickball, soccer, a piñata, and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle cake—and he got all 4.  He received a ton of legos, his latest fixation.  The guests went home sweaty and exhausted, if you love sports, this was the party for you!

 

 

 

 

It’s hard to believe that 6 years ago today, I was sitting in a hospital in Provo, UT holding an infant, knowing life would never be the same.  He was a gift from God, and we feel so blessed that he was sent to our family.  Wow, that feels like decades ago…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alright, Jackson has got enough press.  On to Tay Tay.  She has fallen in love with ballet (and her instructor Ms. Jaime).  It cracks me up because I hated anything and everything girly growing up.  I don’t know what do do with all this pink, frill, and lace!  But she loves it and I guess that’s all that matters.  She has class every Wednesday, so every day, multiple times she’ll ask, “Is it Wednesday yet?”

She continues to love school and make friends easily.  However we did have the play date from you know where.

So all I hear about is “Lily Lily Lily.” So I said lets have Lily over for a play date.  I call and set it up.  Fifteen minutes before I am supposed to pick the girls up from school, Lily’s dad calls and says, I don’t want to be rude but since I don’t know you I don’t feel comfortable with you driving Lily. (We live less than 2 miles away, but whatever no problem).

When they arrive at the house, he sits down beside Lily at the table, I serve the girls lunch and he feeds her.  I am shocked a) that he is here and b) that he is feeding her (but again whatever).  Through lots of conversation I learn that he and his wife are both in their 40s, this is their only child, and this her first play date. 

After lunch I say '”well we’re going to make some cookies, and then I’ll just let the girls play for a little while.”  To which he responds ‘great!’ but doesn’t move.  At this point I realize he has no plans of leaving. 

While the cookies are baking, Taylor invites Lily up to her room, and guess who follows…  Then I start thinking, I don’t know this man and I don’t want him up there with my daughter alone, so up I go.   So for the next 1.5 hours, aside from a quick break to frost and eat cookies, this random man and I sit Indian style across the room from each other talking about everything/nothing.  And they were in no hurry to go, thankfully Jackson was getting home on the bus, so I had a reason to get everyone up and out.  He did say when he was leaving “When you get Lily, you get the whole family.”  Umm thanks for the warning…I think this will be an annual play date.

Random and only visit from the ice cream truck this ‘summer.’  Oh and below, Taylor got a last minute job to do a photo shoot with Birthday Express.  Her favorite part was hair and make up—again, whose child is this??

Now onto the happiest kid in the house.  We can’t get enough of little “Chunk’a’love.”  How we started calling him that I have no idea.  Everyone loves Grant.  Esther, who is still living with us, has a particularly big crush on him.  He is 8 months now and just starting to get into the stranger anxiety phase, which is a bummer since he no longer likes to go to the YMCA day care while I work out.

He has a great laugh, and loves to eat whatever we’re eating.  Although he only has 2 teeth he is able to chew through pretty much anything.  We still get SO many comments on his hair.  People are shocked that I have buzzed him 3 times.  No worries, we’re letting it grow now, I just couldn’t deal with it when he was younger and I wasn’t sleeping that much.

Scotty just got called as Sunday school teacher at church.  He is so excited.  He teaches the adults every Sunday, and it has done wonders for our ‘couple scripture study.’  The books we study are on a 4 year rotation:  Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon, and Doctrine and Covenants.  This year we are on Book of Mormon.  He has taught twice now and has done fabulous.  With work he is getting killed.  He has a Latin American team leader (who we actually really like), who is just working the team to death.  This has not been his favorite project, but he doesn’t dislike it either.

And with me, my sister-in-law Dianna said, you never put any pictures of you!  So the only time I’m really not taking the pictures is when Taylor is messing around with my phone.  Here are 2 she caught this month:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lovely I know.  We have to do a better job of taking pics of me and Scott (and Grant apparently).  Things are great on my side, just busy busy as my mom would say :).  The Primary Program at church (the kids singing) went off without a hitch, so that is a weight off.

Life is beautiful, crazy, and happy here in ATL.

So much love to all of you,

TFK